I didn’t really grow up having read nor seen Winnie the Pooh. I’ve rarely seen any material relating to the character of Winnie the Pooh. But whenever I do get the chance to see something relating to him, I’m always impressed by the level of charm and heart present within it. So going into the new live-action “Christopher Robin,” I was mostly blind with the exception of having obvious familiarity with most of the characters, i.e. Eeyore, Piglet, Pooh, Tigger, etc. But even with little prior knowledge of the source material, I was still filled with warmth and delight and felt like I knew the character of Winnie the Pooh. Director Marc Forster doesn’t break new ground nor take any risks or chances, but he keeps it simple, and that’s where the fun is.
It’s been many years since Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) has seen his little friends from Hundred Acre Wood. He’s now married to a beautiful architect in Evelyn (Hayley Atwell), has a daughter named Madeline (Bronte Carmichael), and works at a luggage production company. After his superior Giles Winslow Jr. (Mark Gatiss) tells him to try and cut 20% of the budget by performing layoffs, Christopher works tirelessly and to no end, much to the irritation of his wife and daughter. Along the way, his old friend Winnie the Pooh can’t seem to find his friends. Never to refuse his old friend, Christopher joins in his expedition. As he reunites with his old friends, he must learn to make amends with his family as well as learn to be alive again.
Part of my personal philosophy is that sometimes, simplicity beats complexity. In the case of “Christopher Robin,” simplicity makes for a much more pleasant experience. On the one hand, for sure, it’s a very generic “Disney” story with the workaholic father. You know exactly where it’s going and how it’s going to end. Nothing really surprising happens in the movie. But on the other hand, it still retains a whimsical, cheerful nature to it that makes it such a delight to watch, at least for the most part. It doesn’t go too far into complicated themes and emotions, but it nevertheless provides a tender, sweet story that resonates with your inner child. The cinematography and visual effects work in tandem to create a vibrant atmosphere filled with imaginative qualities.
The price for that charm and cheeriness, however, is that the first act is a bit of a grind to get through. The pacing probably has the most noticeable impact on the movie and sometimes does remove some of the magic I was hoping to get. The first act is very dull and drags on for a little too long, and there are moments that bring the cheeriness down a peg due to them being flat and dull.
But once Christopher and Pooh meet, the real magic can begin. Ewan McGregor does an exceptional job playing off the digital characters as if they were real and for the most part feels as though Pooh and his friends are genuinely real. I was a bit disappointed that Hayley Atwell doesn’t really have much to do nor does Mark Gatiss other than being the stiff, one-dimensional evil businessman we’ve come to know in some of these Disney movies.
But it’s Pooh and his friends who steal the entire movie, visually and aesthetically. Renowned voice actor Jim Cummings returns to voice Pooh, as well as Tigger, and excels on so many levels. The character of Winnie the Pooh remains a bumbling, naïve, innocent persona while also providing silly yet very true-to-heart wisdom and philosophy that we can all resonate with. But the other standout was the down-on-his-luck, lovably pessimistic Eeyore, voiced by Brad Garrett, with his never-ending cynical one-liners and perfectly timed humor. It’s Pooh and his friends and their distinct personalities that make their interactions with a modern-era London so much fun and often hilarious, pointing out some of the flaws in society while also acting as a juxtaposition between their simple nature and the complicated intricacies of society. For the most part, all of these characters stay true to who they are and where they fit in Christopher Robin’s childhood and imagination.
Overall, “Christopher Robin” is a really sweet and tender adventure, albeit a rather slow and dull one at times. All of these iconic characters stay true to who they are and make for a really engaging interaction with the modern era. It never fully realizes its own magic and thus doesn’t fulfill itself as a great, deeply emotional tale about growing up and childhood. But it nonetheless made me crack a smile on multiple occasions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URpDxIjZrQ&t=1s&w=585